Current students, Black alumni, faculty, and staff gather during Stetson Law’s 2026 Black Alumni Gala, where the chapter celebrated its history and the relationships helping guide the next generation of Black legal professionals.Photo courtesy of Mason
At Stetson University College of Law, the Black Law Students Association has long served as a source of support, leadership, and professional development for students navigating the demands of legal education. Its work reaches beyond campus life and into a larger tradition of Black advocacy in the law – rooted in access, community responsibility, and the belief that representation in the profession matters.
For more than two decades, Stetson’s BLSA has carried forward a tradition of service and support at the College of Law. The organization is part of both the Southern Regional Black Law Students Association and the National Black Law Students Association, connecting its members to a wider network committed to advancing Black law students and strengthening the legal profession. At the campus level, that mission shows up through academic support, professional development, personal encouragement, and opportunities for students to contribute to both the Stetson and Tampa Bay communities.
Stetson’s chapter is also part of a broader national tradition. Since the founding of the original Black American Law Students Association in 1968, Black law student organizations across the country have pushed the legal profession to better respond to the needs of Black communities while also supporting students pursuing careers in law. That legacy continues at Stetson through a chapter grounded in service, advocacy, and investment in the next generation of Black legal professionals.
For Tiera Mason, president of Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association, that work begins with building a community that Black law students can rely on. Her goal has been to create a supportive space for Black students while also opening doors to networking, connection, and retention on campus. At a predominantly white institution, that kind of community is crucial.
“Roughly 5% of attorneys in America are Black, and as a student at a predominantly white institution, our community is important,” Mason shared. Through BLSA, students are able to better understand the legal profession while building mentorship, accessing opportunities, and growing professionally. Mason also described the organization as a cornerstone of her own law school experience, saying the support and sense of community she found through BLSA helped keep her on the right path.
Over the course of the academic year, BLSA put that mission into practice through programming centered on access, mentorship, and community. Mason pointed to prospective student panels that brought alumni attorneys and current students together for candid conversations about law school, the profession, and the many different paths into it. She also highlighted the chapter’s book bank, where members donate and pass down textbooks to help future students access course materials at no cost. Other programming touched on faith, justice, and community engagement.
That work carried into a major milestone for the chapter on Saturday, April 11, when Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association hosted its 2026 Stetson Black Alumni Gala. The event brought together students, alumni, and members of the broader legal community in a celebration of history, connection, and forward movement.
“I wanted the gala to feel like a bridge between generations of Black Stetson lawyers,” said Zion Lampley, the chapter’s vice president.
The event offered the chapter a chance to reflect on the previous year, celebrate its accomplishments, and update alumni on the work taking place on campus. It also created space to recognize the alumni and community partners who continue pouring into current students through mentorship, guidance, scholarship support, internships, and professional example.
Stetson BLSA alumni include judges, prosecutors, city attorneys, and law firm owners whose presence offers students a clear picture of what is possible. “The event was a reminder that BLSA exists to uplift students while honoring the legacy of those who came before us,” Lampley said.
That sense of legacy was woven throughout the evening. The gala’s theme, Legacy in Motion: Honoring the Past, Empowering the Future, was reflected in a room filled with current students, alumni, faculty, staff, community partners, and prospective students, as well as in a legacy table and slideshow documenting the organization’s history.
Attorney Tamara Felton-Howard, the evening’s keynote speaker, also reflected on the history of BLSA and Stetson Law’s path toward opening its doors to Black students. One of the strongest messages of the night centered on “Who will be in the room after us?” and how today’s leaders can help make those spaces more accessible for whoever comes next.
That message was also reflected in the practical ways alumni continue to support the chapter through sponsorships, donations, and Bar Prep Scholarships for graduating members preparing to enter the profession.
For current students, those connections offer something tangible. They place lived experience, career insight, and Black legal excellence in the same room while reinforcing the kind of support that can shape both confidence and career direction. In that way, the gala did more than celebrate the chapter’s history. It underscored BLSA’s continuing role in building community, expanding access, and helping students see themselves within the future of the legal profession.
As the chapter looks ahead, Lampley believes the momentum is still building.
“BLSA will continue expanding its reach, strengthening mentorship, and creating opportunities that empower future classes of students,” he said.
At Stetson, BLSA continues to serve as a vital space for Black students in the legal profession. Its presence reflects the importance of preserving legacy, building community, and creating opportunities for the students who will follow.
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More Photos
Tiera Mason is a Juris Doctor candidate for December 2027, a Center Fellow with the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy, and president of both Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association and the Education Law Association. Photo courtesy of Mason
Zion Lampley is vice president of Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association and a Juris Doctor candidate at Stetson University College of Law, where he is expected to graduate with the Class of 2027. Photo courtesy of Lampley
Tiera Mason, president of Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association, and Zion Lampley, the chapter’s vice president, are pictured during Black History Month programming at Stetson Law. Photo courtesy of Lampley
Tiera Mason (far left), Darren Kettles (far right) of Stetson Law Admissions and the executive board of the newly chartered undergraduate BLSA chapter at Stetson’s DeLand campus meet to discuss law school, Stetson, and the admissions process.Photo courtesy of Mason
Members of Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association are pictured during a visit with students at Academy Prep.Photo courtesy of Lampley
